Slovakian tipples

My beer-mad boyfriend and I are visiting Bratislava in April. He is dying to sample all the local brews he's heard about, but I can't stand the stuff. Are there any traditional alcoholic specialities that I can try while I'm sitting there watching him get merry? Krisztina Szentpetery

Borovicka, a local variant of gin generally comes as a shooter. Ask for a Grepovicka and you'll get it with a splash of grapefruit juice. As with any south-east European country worth its salt, there's also a local plum brandy, slivovica: imagine Calpol meeting vodka in a dark alley. Slovakian wine is pretty rough, but the local white, Rulandske, and the red, Frankovka Modra, are drinkable.

Clint Zepho

The wonderful Demanovka liqueur is sweet and herby and the ideal stuff to get you through a Slovak winter.

Paul Barnfather

A nice drink is Becher and tonic (Becherovka). Fernet is another herbal spirit. The citrus variety is the nicest. You may find a couple of drinks from Hungary about as well. These are Palinka and Unicum. Palinka is similar to slivovica and Unicum is a herbal spirit with a very unusual taste.